Jody Joseph
This hearty and satisfying dish takes the classic Italian favourite to a whole new level by incorporating the rich and savoury goodness of ground chicken.
Looking to feed a crowd or just a hungry family? This is the recipe for you. Great for a busy week night dinner that will keep everyone happy!
Layered with a luscious meat sauce, velvety béchamel, and oozing mozzarella cheese, this baked ziti is a symphony of textures and tastes that will leave you craving more.
Perfect for family gatherings or a cozy night in, this recipe is a surefire way to impress your loved ones with a delightful and memorable meal.
Ground Chicken for a Healthier option
I like to use ground chicken in place of ground beef for a healthier option.
Ground chicken generally has a lower fat content compared to ground beef, especially if you choose lean ground chicken. This makes it a healthier option for individuals looking to reduce their fat intake.
Chicken can be very bland so I find that the trick to making that chicken more flavourful is to season it up first. I like to season my chicken with an Italian flare. My staple ingredients for Italian seasoning are:
- Granulated Garlic
- Onion Powder
- Italian Seasoning
- Dried Oregano
- Ground Sage (optional)
- Red Chili Flakes (optional)
- Salt & Pepper
from meat sauce to béchamel
There are two parts to making this dish. We need to make a quick meat sauce and then make a creamy delightful béchamel.
meat sauce:
For the meat sauce you will need the following ingredients:
- 1 pack of Ground Chicken
- 1 jar Marinelli’s Pasta Sauce , or Rao’s Pasta Sauce (or your favourite)
- 1-2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 -2 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup chicken stock or water
- 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. chili flakes (optional)
- salt & pepper
Meat sauce Directions:
Here are the steps for making the meat sauce:
Start by seasoning your ground chicken. To a bowl, add your ground chicken and then season with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Mix with a fork. Set aside.
To a larger skillet add your olive oil and then continue to add your mirepoix of onions, carrots and celery. Saute until softened approximately 5 minutes. Add in your garlic for the last minute. Add in the seasoned ground chicken and use a potato masher to break up the meat and cook until no longer pink.
Add in the pasta sauce, and chicken stock give it a stir. Simmer while you prepare everything else.
Béchamel Sauce ingredients:
A Béchamel sauce, also known as white sauce, is one of the fundamental and versatile mother sauces in classical French cuisine. It is a smooth, creamy, and velvety sauce made from just a few basic ingredients: butter, flour, and milk.
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (or 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk (or use half-and-half for a richer sauce)
- 2 tsp. chicken stock powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- A pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)
Béchamel Directions:
Melt the Butter: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Make sure not to let it brown or burn; you want it to be melted and foamy.
Create the Roux: Once the butter is melted, add the all-purpose flour to the saucepan. Stir continuously with a whisk or wooden spoon to combine the flour with the butter. Cook the roux for about 2 minutes until it becomes a pale, smooth paste. This step is crucial to remove the raw flour taste from the sauce.
Add the chicken stock powder to the milk and give it a stir. Gradually Add the Milk: Slowly pour the milk into the roux, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Gradually incorporating the milk is essential to achieve a smooth and creamy texture. Continue whisking until the sauce thickens, which should take about 5-7 minutes.
Season the Sauce: Add the salt, ground white pepper, and a pinch of ground nutmeg (if using). Nutmeg adds a subtle warmth to the sauce, enhancing its flavor.
Simmer and Thicken: Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will continue to thicken during this time.
Adjust Consistency: If the sauce becomes too thick, you can adjust the consistency by adding a little more milk, a few tablespoons at a time, until you achieve your desired thickness.
lets make the baked ziti now!
Now that we have our meat sauce ready and our bechemel is good to go let’s get assembling!
Ingredients for the Baked Ziti:
- 1 package Ziti Pasta Noodles cooked al dente
- Prepared Meat Sauce
- Prepared Béchamel Sauce
- 2 cups Mozzarella shredded
- Parmesan cheese
Start by adding a layer of sauce to a heavy pot or baking dish.
Add a layer of cooked Ziti Pasta Noodles
Add the meat sauce over top the ziti noodles
Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese and the delicious Béchamel Sauce that we made.
check out some of these great recipes!
Easy Baked Ziti with Ground Chicken
Ingredients
Meat Sauce Ingredients
- * 1 pack of Ground Chicken
- * 1 jar Marinelli's Pasta Sauce or Rao's Pasta Sauce (or your favourite)
- * 1-2 tbsp. olive oil
- * 1 onion diced
- * 1 carrot diced
- * 1 celery stalk
- * 1 -2 clove garlic minced
- * 1 cup chicken stock or water
- * 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
- * 1 tsp. garlic powder
- * 1 tsp. onion powder
- * 1 tsp. dried oregano
- * 1 tsp. chili flakes optional
- * salt & pepper
Bechemel Ingredients
- * 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or 1/4 cup
- * 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- * 2 cups whole milk or use half-and-half for a richer sauce
- * 2 tsp. chicken stock powder
- * 1/4 teaspoon salt
- * 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- * A pinch of ground nutmeg optional
Baked Ziti Ingredients
- * 1 package Ziti Pasta Noodles cooked al dente
- * Prepared Meat Sauce
- * Prepared Béchamel Sauce
- * 2 cups Mozzarella shredded
- * Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Meat Sauce Instructions
- Start by seasoning your ground chicken. To a bowl, add your ground chicken and then season with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Mix with a fork. Set aside.
- To a larger skillet add your olive oil and then continue to add your mirepoix of onions, carrots and celery. Saute until softened approximately 5 minutes.
- Add in your garlic for the last minute.
- Add in the seasoned ground chicken and use a potato masher to break up the meat and cook until no longer pink.
- Add in the pasta sauce, and chicken stock give it a stir. Simmer while you prepare everything else.
Bechemel Sauce Instructions
- Melt the Butter: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Make sure not to let it brown or burn; you want it to be melted and foamy.
- Create the Roux: Once the butter is melted, add the all-purpose flour to the saucepan. Stir continuously with a whisk or wooden spoon to combine the flour with the butter. Cook the roux for about 2 minutes until it becomes a pale, smooth paste. This step is crucial to remove the raw flour taste from the sauce.
- Add the chicken stock powder to the milk and give it a stir. Gradually Add the Milk: Slowly pour the milk into the roux, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Gradually incorporating the milk is essential to achieve a smooth and creamy texture. Continue whisking until the sauce thickens, which should take about 5-7 minutes.
- Season the Sauce: Add the salt, ground white pepper, and a pinch of ground nutmeg (if using). Nutmeg adds a subtle warmth to the sauce, enhancing its flavor.
- Simmer and Thicken: Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will continue to thicken during this time.
- Adjust Consistency: If the sauce becomes too thick, you can adjust the consistency by adding a little more milk, a few tablespoons at a time, until you achieve your desired thickness.
Baked Ziti Instructions
- Start by adding a layer of sauce to a heavy pot or baking dish.
- Add a layer of cooked Ziti Pasta Noodles
- Add the meat sauce over top the ziti noodles
- Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese and the delicious Béchamel Sauce that we made.
- Repeat this process again.
- On the top layer add some parmesan cheese.
- Cover the pasta with a tight fitting lid or aluminum foil.
- Bake at 350 degrees with the lid on for approximately 20 minutes.
- Broil for 2-3 minutes